a
business wrecked by us, gentlemen--without a customer, without a friend.
Shall it be said that the free and open-handed men's club of South Orham
turned its back upon one man, merely because he HAS been what he was?
Gentlemen, I have talked with Jotham Gale; he is old, he is friendless,
he no longer has a means of livelihood--we have taken it from him. We
have turned his followers' steps to better paths. Shall we not turn
his, also? Gentlemen and friends, Jotham Gale is repentant, he feels
his ostrichism'--whatever he meant by that--'he desires to become
self-respecting, and he asks us to help him. He wishes to join this
club. Gentlemen, I propose for membership in our association the name of
Jotham W. Gale.'

"He set down and mopped his face. And the powwow that broke loose was
somethin' tremendous. Of course 'twas plain enough what Dan's game was.
This was the 'somethin'' that was goin' to happen.

"Ellis see the way the land lay, and he bounces up to protest. 'Twas
an outrage; a scandal; ridiculous; and so forth, and so on. Poor Gabe
didn't know what to do, and so he didn't do nothin'. A head Conservative
seconds Jotham's nomination. 'Twas put to a vote and carried easy. Dan's
speech had had its effect and a good many folks voted out of sympathy.
How did I vote? I'LL never tell you.

"And then Bassett gets up, smilin', goes to the outside door, opens it,
and leads in the new member. He'd been waitin' on the steps, it turned
out. Jotham looked mighty quiet and meek. I pitied the poor old codger
more'n ever. Snaked in, he was, out of the wet, like a yeller dog, by
the club that had kicked him out of his own shop.

"Chairman Gabe pounds for order, and suggests that the votin' can go on.
But Ellis jumps up, and says he:

"'What's the sense of votin' now?' he asks sarcastic. 'Will the lost
lamb we've just yanked into the fold have the face to stand up and bleat
that he hasn't promised to vote Conservative? Dan Bassett, of all the
contemptible tricks that ever--'

"Bassett's face was redder'n a ripe tomatter. He shakes his fist in
Gaius's face and yells opinions and comments.

"'Don't you talk to me about tricks, you ward-heeler!' he hollers.
'Why did you fetch Mr. Holway back home? Why did you, hey? That was the
trickiest trick that I--'

"Gabe pretty nigh broke his mallet thumpin'.

"'Gentlemen! gentlemen!' says he. 'This is most unseemly. Sit down,
if you PLEASE. Mr. Ellis, when the purpose of this associat